CD Projekt RED has issued an apology, after it was discovered the Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 includes a remarkably comprehensive array of anti-Russian references. These range from prominently featured graffiti all the way to niche terminology that will largely be unfamiliar to anyone not from Ukraine or the surrounding countries.
These sentiments are notably not prevalent throughout all versions of Cyberpunk 2077. These were found in the Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077, which recently went live alongside the 2.0 update. The job was given to the Ukrainian company SBT Localization, per the game’s credits. It’s also worth noting that CDPR has been vocal about the war in the past, taking actions that include halting sales in Russia.
“The release version of Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 features elements of dialogues that can be considered offensive by Russian gamers,” said CD Projekt Red in a translated statement given to IGN. “These lines have not been written by CD Projekt Red staff and do not represent our views. We are working to produce correct lines and substitute them in the next update.”
Localization manager Mariia Strilchuk provided a follow-up statement, which was also provided to IGN:
“I’d like to clarify regarding the corrections to the Ukrainian localization. They refer to the lines where the translation lost its original meaning, including certain references to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Our support to Ukraine remains unchanged, but we prefer to show it through positive actions.”
Cyberpunk future
Rock, Paper, Shotgun contacted the organizers of Indie Cup, a Kyiv-based game festival, to help nail down some of the most egregious examples of anti-Russian sentiments in the new update’s Ukrainian translation. From the looks of it, there’s absolutely no shortage of stuff to uncover.
According to Indie Cup’s Arsenii Tarasov, the original English dialogue “We’re fucking through” got translated to “Go fuck yourself in the same direction as the ship did.” Similarly, an in-game police officer’s “Couldn’t all these assholes bite it out in the Badlands?” turned into “Couldn’t all this rusnia bite it out in the Badlands?” Rusnia, according to Tarasov, is a Ukrainian derogatory term used to reference Russians.
All of these, including in-game graffiti of Crimea with the Ukrainian insignia slapped on top of it, is likely to get removed soon, if CDPR is to be believed.
